Below is a breakdown of what each Big Ten school spent wooing talent. Northwestern and Penn State aren’t obligated to share financial information. Nebraska didn’t join the conference until this past season.

– Wisconsin sure does get a lot of bang for its buck. The Badgers have won the past two Big Ten titles with a roster assembled on the cheap. The $204,181 the Badgers spent in 2010-11 was the lowest of any school over the two years studied. Must be a lot of Southwest Airlines flights with connections through Tulsa and Louisville. And instead of stopping a Ruth’s Chris for dinner during trips, assistants must swing through the drive-through window at Burger King for the Whopper Combo Meal. Can’t say I blame them.

– The numbers at Illinois and Purdue are surprising. I never would have thought they spent so much on football recruiting. Kudos to those athletic departments for giving their staffs resources to compete.

– Tim Brewster’s lavish spending—$615,063 in 2009-10, more than any other school in the two seasons studied–didn’t reap the desired reward of myriad talent. But, again, it’s good to see school administrators willing to give their coaches the resources to try to succeed. And it all begins with assembling talent on the recruiting trail.

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: You name the preseason accolade, and Michigan State defensive end William Gholston probably has earned it. All-American … All-Big Ten … Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year … stud … monster … BMOC.

PRESTIGIOUS NUMBERS: Like it or not, Michigan is bringing back the retired numbers of three of its greatest gridiron gods: Gerald Ford (48), Ron Kramer (87) and Bennie Oosterbaan (47). The jerseys will feature a “Michigan Football Legend” special patch on the upper left chest. Desmond Howard’s 21 also has similar treatment. No word yet on Tom Harmon’s No. 98 and the No. 11 that the three Wistert Brothers wore.

I’m a little lukewarm on the idea, but it is a great way to bring more awareness to past great players. With the jerseys “in action,” so to speak, younger generations will have a better chance to learn about these Michigan luminaries than they would if the numbers just hung from a rafter or were painted on a stadium façade.

While we are on the subject of Wolverines greats and their numbers, can we just go ahead and put a “Michigan Football Legend” patch on Denard Robinson’s No. 16 jersey?

No doubt, losing Wilson will hurt the Badgers. But I still think their latest quarterback transfer—Maryland’s Danny O’Brien—will be a reasonable facsimile of Wilson. Will O’Brien pass for 3,175 yards, 33 touchdowns with just four picks and a stupefying 72.8 completion percentage like Wilson did in 2011? Probably not. But O’Brien will do just fine, especially with Montee Ball still taking hand offs behind him to deflect attention.

GENERAL CONSENSUS: The college football preview magazines have hit newsstands with a Gael force. And the great Bob Asmussen of the Champaign News-Gazette has perused each—Hey, someone has to do it–to see how the various publications size up Illinois under first-year coach Tim Beckman.

The consensus: A middle-of-the-pack finish with a middle-of-the-pack record.

Sounds about right. There are too many questions on offense (Who will run the ball? Who will catch it?). And can the Fighting Illini adequately replace defensive stars like end Whitney Mercilus and safety Tavon Wilson?

Bottom line: Just getting to a bowl will be nice feat for Illinois this season.

TWEETS THAT MATTER

Been saying for a while now Ohio State-Michigan headed toward new golden age with Meyer and Hoke driving the trains.

My take: I agree 1000 percent with the great Tim May. The next decade will be the closest we have come to replicating the Bo-Woody years of this uber-intense rivalry. Just sit back and enjoy it, people!!!

Spent the day at Nebraska's "Football 202" event. One nugget learned: The #Huskers have offered 213 players so far in this recruiting class.